1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a light emitting device including light an emitting element, a method of manufacturing a light emitting device, and an electronic apparatus.
2. Related Art
An organic electroluminescence (EL) element which is easy to be made thinner and more compact compared to a light emitting diode as a light emitting element attracts attentions. An organic EL element has a functional layer including an organic light emitting layer between an anode and a cathode, if a voltage is applied between the anode and the cathode, light emission is obtained from the organic light emitting layer depending on an amount of current flowing through the functional layer.
In such a functional layer, a light emitting function thereof is decreased or lost if water, or oxygen, or the like penetrates from outside. Therefore, it is necessary to provide ways for preventing the water, or the oxygen, or the like from penetrating in order to ensure a light-emission lifetime of the organic EL element.
For example, in JP-A-2007-157606, there is proposed a sealing structure of the organic EL element covering a second electrode as a common cathode, in which a first inorganic layer, a second inorganic layer, an organic buffer layer, and a gas barrier layer are sequentially laminated.
According to this, since the organic buffer layer is provided between the organic EL element and the gas barrier, for example, when cracks occur by expansion and contraction due to heat, it is possible to provide a long-lifetime light emitting device by preventing water, or oxygen, or the like from penetrating from respective cracks. According to the above-described JP-A-2007-157606, the gas barrier layer is formed not only to cover the organic buffer layer but also to cover a peripheral edge portion of the first inorganic layer covering the second electrode. Accordingly, on a substrate, a peripheral region that covers a region in which a plurality of organic EL elements are disposed is necessary in order to reliably cover the peripheral edge portion of the first inorganic layer by the gas barrier.
However, if decreasing an area of the peripheral region in an attempt to reduce the size of the light emitting device itself, there has been a problem in that it is difficult to adopt the sealing structure of the above-described JP-A-2007-157606.